School complaints Yr8

DS1 and 2 of his friends have been very upset by a teacher threatening them at school - they are aware that his threats are empty and meant to be jokes, but are still terrified of going to his lessons (2 of them were in tears one day asking to be kept at home that day as they were so scared)

When I complained, they said that they'd pull all 3 in, hear their side of it, and reassure them that everything is fine.

DS1 came home very upset - he'd been pulled out of his maths lesson to be told off for telling tales. The school thinks they shouldn't tell us what has happened, and that they will be punished if they continue to 'tell tales on teachers'

The school said to me they wouldn't do anything unless I put in a formal complaint, but that if I did that I'd have to make a public apology if the complaint procedure decided that the kids weren't being bullied!

They can't make to do a public apology, and I'd love to see any complaints procedure that tried. Worrying that they are telling children not to tell their parents if something has frightened it upset them.

would speak to the school abd see what their side of the story ( not through the filter of a thirteen year old ) is?

p.m. me the name of the school. I will treat it in strictest confidence. I'll have a look and see if I can find their complaints policy to check this out.No school complaints policy can state that someone will be forced to make a public apology if their complaint isn't upheld.

The specific punishment they knew were threatened with is not likely to happen.. They felt they were likely to be punished in some way... and that he may follow through on the 'joke' threat. It was a 'if you dont do X i eill make you do Y' threat. Based on army punishments. Teacher is ex-army

Take it up with the governors - although if it is anything like the school my DS attends you have no idea who the governors are - I thought all schools had to have a section on the website about governors?

I've just voted for a parent governor, no idea who I am voting for apart from a short paragraph they wrote about themselves. (And I don't mean to sound unkind about school governors, my DH was one for a number of years).

So they're threatening you and the children? I'd write to Ofsted and the governors explaining you expect your children to be educated, not threatened and bullied by the person who's supposed to know better and set examples about manners, principles and decency. If you can't find their complaints procedure ask for it and writing and add this to your complaint as well.

What was the punishment? Was it humiliating - undressing, physical abuse, cleaning a toilet with a tooth brush? Make it clear you want them to be able to phone you at any time if they want you to pick them up. That is not on treating children, or yourself, in such a bullying manner.

"The school said to me they wouldn't do anything unless I put in a formal complaint, but that if I did that I'd have to make a public apology if the complaint procedure decided that the kids weren't being bullied!"

Please - a complaint should be investigated. Do they expect you to stand in assembly and apologise?

I'm more concerned by the fact that the children were told off for speaking to their parents and 'telling tales'. This flies in the face of safeguarding advice- children should never be encouraged to keep secrets from their parents, least of all by trusted adults.

Yes, as a punishment. But then it's in the context of a PE lesson, so I'm not bothered (although they have to do that if they correct him when he calls a child by the wrong name). Bad jokes are punishable by press-ups. Personally I thought that was quite funny.

I would write to the head and chair of governors and ask to see the school's complaint procedure because you want to clarify:a) the bit about parents having to make a public apology.b) the punishment for any student "telling tales" on a teacher.c) what teacher behaviours come under such tale-telling and what would be a child-protection issue.